Funnel head with closure member for sprayer tanks



April 1940- G. E. BULLOCK FUNNEL HEAD WITH CLOSURE MEMBER FOR SPRAYER TANKS I Filed June 16, 1957 F'IGI F'IC54 FIG 2 IN VENTOR GILES EBULLOCK TTORXE? Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES FUNNEL HEAD WITH CLOSURE MEMBER FOR SPRAYER TANKS Giles E. Bullock, Rochester, NQ'Y.

Application June 16, 1937, Serial No; 148,527

13 Claims.

member of the funnel head including means for the engagement by a handle for sealing and carrying the sprayer tank.

Another object of this invention is to provide the closure member with novel means for anchoring thereto the pump barrel of thesprayer to provide for the simultaneous removal of the pump barrel with the closure member.

A-still further object of the invention is to provide the closure member with a novel handle construction which is used for carrying the sprayer, locking, unlocking and removing the closure member, and operating the piston of the pump of the sprayer.

All these and other objects of this invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed description thereof which follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a sprayer tank provided with the novel funnel head and closure member.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the head and closure member with a portion of the sprayer tank, the section being taken on the line 2:1:-2:1: of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3a:--3.c of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of the closure member with its handle partly broken away. v

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view of the wall of the closure receptacle taken on the line 5.r5a: of Figure 3.

In the several figures of the drawing like reference numerals indicate like parts.

The novel head construction, forming the subject matter of my present invention, provides for sprayer tanks a head of strong construction and low cost of manufacture and includes a filler opening and closure member for the filler opening which makes for a quick and easy filling and sealing of theltank. I

As illustrated in Figure 2 the upper portion of the sprayer tank I is substantially dome shaped and has the opening 2 in the top thereof. The

head 3 is anchored to the tank so as to surround the opening -2 and for this purpose is provided at the bottom with an inflaring flange 4 which is adapted to rest on the flattened top of the tank with the flange 5 engaging into the flange 4 and spun thereover to clinch this flange to the tank top and provide a seat 6 for the closure member 'to rest thereon and seal the tank. The clinched juncture between the head and the tank is coated with solder or is galvanized to seal the joint.

From the inflaring flange 4 the head extends vertically upward to provide a short cylindrical receptacle 1 for the closure member 8. Above the receptacle the wall of the head flares outwardly and upwardly to form the funnel top 9 which is surrounded by the downwardly curved flange i0.

Struck in from the outside of the cylindrical wall of the receptacle 1 intermediate the top and bottom thereof and diametrically opposite each other; are the inclined cam ridges II and [2, each of which extends a short distance around the inside of the wall for engagement by the closure member 8. For this purpose the closure member is provided with a pair of segmental cam flanges I3 and I 4 which project from the periphery of the closure member at diametrically opposite points and are offset so as to incline fromone end to the other in the same direction. The closure member with its cams is dimensioned so that it may be inserted into the receptacle with the cams l3 and I4 positioned intermediate the cam ridges II and I2 so that on the rotation of the closure member the cams engage under the cam ridges and cause the closure member to pressure on the sealing gasket I5.

Thissealing gasket surrounds the top of the barrel 86 of the pump below the outflaring flange l'l thereof. The barrel l6 projects thru the opening 2 in the top of the tank to have the outflaring flange i1 thereof abut against the under side of the closure member with the compressible gasket l5 located between the flange l1 and the seat 6 for the compression of it between them. I It will be apparent from an inspection of Figure 5 that in View. of the fact that the inclined cam ridges are formed into the wall of the receptacle 1 below the top thereof these cam ridges are reinforced at the top so that an upward pressure by the closure member against these cam ridges cannot cause a deformation thereof and release the closure member as the result thereof.

To hold the barrel it of the pump to the under side of the closure member a pair ofv prongs l8, l8 are struck out from the closure member to project from the bottom thereof. These lugs or prongs are spaced a distance slightly greater than the inside diameter of the barrel so that when these lugs are forced into the barrel they slightly exexert r hooked ends of the locking lugs,

and exert a constant outward pressure against the wall at diametrically opposite points thereof. The wall of the barrel is thus slightly forced out of round by the prongs and because of this the wall of the barrel in turn exerts an inward pressure against the prongs with the result that the barrel is firmly held on the bottom of the closure member by this simple engagement of the prongs into the barrel of the pump.

The piston rod I9 of the pump passes thru the central hole 20 in the closure member 8. Located on each side of this central hole and uniformly spaced from it are the locking lugs 2| and 22. These lugs are struck up from the closure member and are-formed with hook shaped ends which are arranged so as to have their hooked ends face in opposite directions but equally spaced from the center of the closure member and radially in line with each other.

A portion of the handleframe for the piston rod is provided by a horizontal member 23 which is integrally formed with or suitably welded thereto so as to project diametrically across the top of the piston rod. The outer ends of this horizontal member are bent up so that the lower portion of the handle frame can enter into the receptacle 1 of the head and move in and out therefrom and serve as centering means for the closure member in the receptacle as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2. The upper portion of the handle frame is widened and carries the handle grip 24.

In the top and side of the horizontal member 23 of the handle frame and uniformly spaced from the piston rod, are the rectangularly shaped pockets 25, 25. These pockets provide vertically extending flat shoulders which are adapted to have the downwardly extending vertical ends of the lugs 2i and 22 engage thereover so as to provide a non-slipping contact between them. To

pand the barrel engage the horizontal member under the lugs, it

is lowered between them below the hooked ends thereof and then turned into engagement with the lugs and then raised again to have the hooked ends engage thereover and into the pockets 25 thereof. When thus engaged, the handle of the piston rod is held locked close to the closure member so that it can be used for carrying the spray- When it is necessary to operate the pump, the handle is lowered and turned to disengage its horizontal member from the locking lugs and permit the movement of the handle above these lugs between them for a free movement of the piston rod the full length thereof.

To unlock the closure member for filling purposes the handle is again engaged under the as above described, but is then turned so as to turn the closure member by means of the lugs and move the cams thereof out from under the cam ridges of the head so as to release the closure member from the head and permit its withdrawal out of the head by means of the handle.

After the sprayer tank is filled, the closure member with the pump attached to it is reinserted into the head with the gasket resting on the seat A rotating movement, given to the closure member thru the lugs 2| and 22 by means of the handle, will then cause the segmental cam flanges of the closure member to engage under the inclined cam ridges of the head and force the closure member toward the seat 6 of the head and compress the gasket resting thereon to seal the opening 2 of the tank around the barrel of the pump.

The handle frame with its gripping member is shaped so as to have the greater portion thereof enter the funnel shaped top of the head with the hand of the operator within the handle frame surrounding the gripping member. This provides a maximum stroke for a minimum length of piston rod in that it permits the bottom of the handle frame to move close to the closure member on the down stroke of the piston. The fact that the handle frame is made to enter the funnel shaped top also provides for the locking and unlocking engagement between the closure member and the handle frame close to the closure member.

Because of the fact that the sheet metal closure member provides but a very short bearing for the piston rod, a short spring 26 is placed around the piston rod so as to slide thereon and when the piston is raised in the barrel the spring keeps the piston spaced from the bottom of the closure member in order that this spacing of the piston 21 from the bottom of the closure member provides two spaced supporting points for the piston which hold the piston rod in line with the barrel to keep it from tilting to one side thereof at the upper end of its stroke.

To keep the closure member from being blown out of the head should it be released while the tank is under pressure, a pair of safety stops or shoulders 30, 38 are formed in the wall of the receptacle 7 and project inwardly thereof intermediate the inclined cam ridges and vertically spaced from them. These safety stops or shoulders are in the form of small blisters which are pressed from the wall so that when the cams of the closure member are disengaged from the inclined cam ridges of the head -a direct upward movement of the closure member is arrested by these safety stops after the closure member is unseated in the head. It is then necessary to again rotate the closure member, this time to move the cam flanges from under these safety stops above the inclined cam ridges before the closure member can be withdrawn from the head. Stopping the closure member in this manner above the inclined cam ridges releases any air from the tank without danger of having the closure member blown out of the head.

I claim:

1. An integrally formed sheet metal head for sprayer tanks comprising a substantially cylindrical open ended housing, a pair of inclined cam ridges struck inwardly of the wall of said housing intermediate the top and bottom thereof, and safety stops projecting inwardly of said cylindrical housing above and intermediate said cam ridges.

2. A cylindrical head for sprayer tanks, a substantially funnel shaped extension at the top of said head, a closure member vertically movable in and out of said head, a piston rod movable in and out of said head and thru said closure member, a handle frame on said piston rod movable in and out of said cylindrical head and its funnel shaped extension and into engagement with said closure member within said cylindrical head to permit its rotation thereby and means providing an endwise movement of said handle frame in engagement with said closure member for looking purposes.

3. A closure member for sprayer tank heads having a cylindrical filling opening with circumferentially spaced cam ridges in the wall of said opening, comprising a flat sheet metal disc, cam flanges circumferentially spaced and offset to project upwardly and outwardly from the perimeter of said disc for movement between and engagement under said cam ridges and lugs struck up from said sheet metal disc for the rotation thereof and means at the top of said lugs for holding said closure member suspended thereby.

4. A closure member and pump barrel support for sprayer tank heads having a filling opening comprising a disc, a pump barrel having a yielding wall and spaced prongs projecting from the 1 bottom of said disc and engaging into said pump barrel for yielding engagement therewith to hold said pump barrel on said closure member for movement in and out of said filling opening by said closure member.

5. A closure member and pump barrel support for sprayer tank heads having a filling opening, comprising a sheet metal disc, a pump barrel, and yielding prongs struck out from said disc to project from the bottom thereof for yielding engagement into said barrel to hold said barrel on said closure member for movement in and out of said filling opening by said closure member.

6. In combination with a closure member of a piston rod movable thru said closure member centrally thereof, a pair of radially spaced up-- wardly projecting locking lugs on said closure member, oppositely facing hook shaped ends on said lugs, a handle frame comprising a cross member at the top of said piston rod, substantially vertical extensions at each end of said cross member and a handle at the top between said extensions; said cross member engaging the vertical portion of said locking lugs on the rotation of said handle and engaging under the hook .shaped ends of said locking lugs on the vertical movement of said handle frame.

'7. In combination with a closure member of a piston rod movable thru said closure member centrally thereof, a pair of radially spaced upwardly projecting locking lugs on said closure member, oppositely facing hook shaped tops on said lugs, a vertically depending end on said hook shaped tops of said lugs, a wire handle frame for said piston rod, a horizontally extending member providing the bottom of said handle frame, pockets indented in said horizontal member, a vertical wall on said pockets, said hook shaped ends being adapted to engage over said horizontal frame member with said vertically depending ends engaging the vertical wall of said pockets.

8. A closure structure for sprayer tanks, comprising a cylindrical wall member surrounding the opening in said tank, a pair of circularly spaced inclined cam members projecting inwardly of said wall members, a pair of circularly spaced safety shoulder stops projecting inwardly of said wall member intermediate and above said cam members, a substantially disc shaped closure member, elongated locking members projecting from said closure member for engagement under said cam members for their completely locked position and for engagement under said shoulder stops for their partially locked position in said cylindrical wall member.

, 9. A combination closure structure and pump support for sprayer tanks, comprising a seat surrounding the opening in said sprayer tank, a cylindrical wall member surrounding said seat, a

. substantially disc shaped closure member, lugs depending from said closure member, a pump cylinder telescopingly mounted over said lugs to center said pump cylinder on the under side of said closure member, an outflaring flange on said pump cylinder for engagement by the bottom of 5 said closure member, a gasket surrounding said pump cylinder below said outflaring flange and means for yieldingly forcing said closure member against said cylinder flange to compress said gasket on said seat and seal the opening in said 10 sprayer tank between said seat and said pump cylinder.

10. A closure structure for sprayer tanks comprising a cylindrical ,wall member surrounding the opening in said tanks, a pair of circularly l5 spaced cam members projecting inwardly of said wall members, a substantially disc shaped closure member, locking members carried by said closure member for engagement under said cam members on the rotation of said closure member, 90 oppositely facing substantially hooked shaped lugs projecting upwardly of said closure member,

a pump rod movable centrally to said closure member, a horizontal handle member on said pump rod adapted for locking engagement with 25 said hooked shaped lugs on the turning and endwise upward movement of said pump rod to move the handle member into contact with and under the hooked shaped ends of said lugs and keep the handle from rotating in either direction.

11. A closure structure as set forth in claim 10 in which pockets are formed in said horizontal handle member to have the hooked shaped ends of said lugs engage thereinto for locking engagement with said horizontal handle member.

12. A combined funnel head and closure member for sprayer tanks, comprising a substantially funnel shaped top, a cylindrical shaped extension surrounding the reduced open end of said top, an inflaring seat flange at the bottom of said cylindrical extension, a pair of inclined cam members projecting inwardly of the wall of said cylindrical extension, a pair of safety shoulder stops projecting inwardly of the wall of said cylindrical extension intermediate and above said cam members, a substantially disc shaped closure member movable in and out of said extension, locking memberscarried by said closure members for engagement under said cam members, a pump rod movable thru said closure member, a horizontal member on said pump rod, substantially hooked shaped oppositely facing lugs carried by said closure member for engagement by said handle member to cause the rotation of said closure member on the rotation of said pump rod and move said locking members in engagement under said cam member.

13. A combined funnel head and closure member as set forth in claim 12 including centering lugs projecting from the under side of said closure member, a pump cylinder telescopingly engaging over said centering lugs to hold said cylinder centrally on the underside of said closure member, an outflaring flange on said pump cylinder for engagement by said closure member and a gasket surrounding said cylinder on the underside of said outflaring flange to have said closure member in its locking movement move said outflaring flange to compress said gasket between said inflaring seat flange and the outflaring cylinder flange.

GILES E. BULLOCK. 

